The Journey
by SilkYuzu
Summary: They were not traveling together. No. They just happened to be going in the same direction.  Zutara. Takes place during 'The Chase' episode.
1. Prolouge

**Pairing: Zutara**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: _Avatar The Last Airbender_ belongs to its respective creators. I am making no profit off of this story.**

This is my first ATLA story, but I'm quite pleased with how it's turning out. I'm trying to move away from my usual stories (which are based in the BeyBlade series) and branch out into different genres. I wanted to get this story started before the premier of season three so my opinions and ideas weren't too heavily influenced... I hope it works out!

- SilkYuzu

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_"When you heal, you share the pain. The water __**connects**__ you. You give them some of your own life force to sustain theirs and make them whole. Ina select few water benders, your body naturally replaces that life force given away. That special quality allows you to heal. Your body creates life force, and can handle the risk of sharing it. However, this why you must __**never**__ try to heal the dead. All of your life force will leave you. You will die."_

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The sun beat down on the already battered land harshly, showing no mercy for the humans below it. The soil was hard and cracked from a lack of moisture and a few brown, dead grasses dotted the landscape. A ghost town provided the only shade for a long whiles. It had been abandoned after a fire nation raid and all was left behind in the broken buildings.

A small group of people were in the center of town though - a prince, a princess, a general, two water tribe travelers, and a wealthy earth bending family's blind daughter.

"A princess knows how to surrender." Azula raised her two hands above her head and tossed her head to the side in an arrogant manner, "With dignity." Her eyes shifted to Zuko for a brief moment then turned back to the others that had cornered her against a broken wall. Azula could see how riled up her brother was getting, and it was quite satisfying. Dirty outlaws and enemies teaming up just to bring her down was a nice bonus as well though. Azula was pleased that they saw her as such a threat.

Aang seemed to let his guard down in relief. He was glad that he wouldn't have to fight Azula, but something didn't seem right. She was planning something. Azula didn't seem like the type do just 'surrender' and give herself up. Aang was exhausted though from avoiding her all night, he wasn't thinking clearly.

Azula smirked when she saw the moment of weakness and took the opportunity to shoot a rather powerful bolt of lightning at her uncle. The raw blue power hit him in the left shoulder and tossed him like a rag doll backwards. He landed on his back at least 10 paces away.

Katara broke out of their 'U' shaped formation and rushed over the old man that traveled with her enemy. He was hurt and that's all that really mattered to her. Katara uncorked her canteen and opened Iroh's smoldering shirt exposing his wounded chest. The lightning had done great damage, and while the wound was not bleeding, the burns were life threatening. The lightning struck directly over the old man's heart, and Katara could feel his heart beating out of sequence beneath his chest.

Zuko gave a strangled shout that was a mix of 'Azula!' and 'Uncle!' but it just came out like an animal's cry. Focused solely on his uncle, he didn't notice anything else. His gold eyes widened and he bit his lower lip, enough to hurt. He whipped back around to face his sister and shot a powerful blast of fire at her. He was furious, he was distraught, because Zuko knew that if Iroh died, he would truly be alone.

Toph and Aang quickly followed suit after getting over the shock. Sokka threw his bladed boomerang at Azula's head. He wasn't a bender, but that fact wasn't going to keep him out of the fight. Hopefully they could bring her down now…

Azula dodged the streams of air, fire, rock, and the dangerous boomerang with grace and made a run for her lizard mount. Straddling it, she snapped the reins and began to flee back out into the desert, away from the ghost town. She knew when the heat of a battle was too much to handle, after all, she _was_ a fire bender.

Sokka grabbed the reins of Zuko's ostrich horse and jumped onto it, ignoring it's surprised squawks. The bladed boomerang turned and flew in an arc back into it's master's hand. "Don't let her get away!" He sped off on his mount after the princess followed by Toph and Aang. Aang quickly opened his glider while Toph used her superior earth bending to propel her forward. A trail of dust was kicked up behind them as they stayed in hot pursuit of their new enemy.

Katara wasn't watching what was going around though. She vaguely noticed when the Prince ran over to his uncle's side, about to shove her out of the way. Making the healing gloves on her hands, she gently placed them on his chest over the wound.

"What are you doing you -" Zuko snarled grabbing her shoulder tightly to pull her off.

"Not now, he's close." Katara ignored Zuko and closed her eyes and focused on the water. She exhaled slowly and found the old man's life force. It was very weak and fading. She'd need to bring him back before he crossed over to the other side. If the old man crossed it, she wouldn't be able to help him. Katara pressed the water into the wound and opened the link between them.

_Gods it hurt!_

Katara gasped as pain erupted across her left shoulder and a good ways down her chest. The old man was lucky that he was unconscious and he didn't need to feel it. This was the hardest part about healing because you shared the pain. Katara felt the flow of her own life force flowing through her body and the connection between herself and the old man. Slowly and gently, she began to ease her own energies into the dying man's body.

Zuko watched with morbid fascination as the water tribe girl winced and tensed up. She seemed to be in a great deal of pain though he didn't understand why. He scowled; he didn't even know _what_ she was doing although the glowing water was unnerving him. Zuko had never made a point to learn the abilities of the other benders, least of all the water benders. His education had been centered around the Fire Nation, the only one of importance to his father and the schools.

A tear made it past Katara's clenched eyes and slid down her cheek until it hit the hot and dry desert ground below. It evaporated quickly and was gone. "Gently… Gently…" She thought to herself as she eased more energy into the old man's body, if she went too quickly, the man wouldn't be able to hold the energy. His life force was stable now, but still very weak. Katara could feel the wound mending beneath her hands. She pushed energy in quicker know, knowing that the body could handle it. The skin over the wound healed and closed up but it would still take a while to heal and left an angry bruise on his chest.

The pain faded and Katara sighed in relief. She was panting lightly and quickly searched through the link for any other injuries in the old body. The pain was gone, but something still felt… wrong. Katara could feel something hard in the man's body that she couldn't heal. It felt ominous and powerful and Katara could tell that whatever it was had been there for a while. Was the man sick?

Zuko watched the girl sigh then furrow her brows in concentration – something was confusing or annoying her. Maybe both. She was panting and shaking from exhaustion – pah! Like she had actually helped in fighting his sister. "Girl… What did you do?" Zuko growled as he looked at his uncle's chest. It was impossible to see the wound because the girl's hands where shining and the water obscured his view. He knew enough though to understand the magnitude of a lighting wound. They didn't bleed because it was burn, but the internal damage was deadly.

Katara opened up her blue eyes and pulled her hands back into her lap making sure not to make eye contact with the enemy prince. "He was very close to crossing over." She had to use one of her arms by placing it on the caked and dry soil so she wouldn't fall over, "He's okay now… But he'll need more time to heal fully." Katara vaguely noticed that her canteen was empty. She must have used up all the water. She was defenseless now until she came by a water source. And being in a desert… chances were bleak.

Staggering up to her feet, Katara stood up and held her balance. Turning her back on Zuko, she began to take shaky steps away knowing that she'd need to travel a ways to catch up with her friends. She was so tired though, this was her second day without rest.

Zuko turned back to Iroh and checked over the wound when he heard a 'thud!' from behind. Some kicked up dust blew in his direction.

The girl fell down - her legs gave out beneath her.

Zuko eyed her for a moment before lifting his uncle up gently and carrying him into one of the nearby half destroyed buildings. He laid him in the shade and closed his shirt. Looking out the beaten down door he could see his supply pack had fallen off the ostrich horse luckily.

Walking out to get it, for it had blankets and dried food, Zuko saw that the girl was trying to get up again only to have her muscles give out. The heat would dehydrate her soon and the avatar's companion would be lost. Not that it was a loss on his part, it would be on less bender standing in the way of his honor.

Katara coughed and used her arms to left her head off the hot soil, she needed to get into shade. She was so tired, her eyes felt heavy. Falling asleep would be the end though.

With a sigh, Zuko picked up his pack, slung it over his shoulder to free his arms, and let his conscience get the better of him.

His arms where free and he picked the girl up so her head was cradled against his chest. Zuko was grateful that the girl was too tired to protest, because she made a face that showed that she would have if she had the strength.

Katara murmured something incoherent.

Zuko walked back to the building, wanting to get out of the heat as fast as he could. He had grown up in a nation twice as hot as this, but after not eating the heat was even starting to affect him. When the prince went to put the girl down next to his uncle, he saw that she was already fast asleep in his arms.


	2. Chapter 1

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews I've gotten so far! I was happy that even the prolouge sparked some interest, because I was worried it turned out to bland in the long run.**

**Just as a rule of thumb... reviews make me update faster!**

**-SilkYuzu**

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The moon had risen into the sky and was beaming down gently. The night was quiet and oddly cold considering how unbearably hot it was earlier. The soft beams blanketed the ground leaving a small but noticeable glow. The stars twinkled above and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky, showing how dry it was. Yue was calm and serene, watching below with quiet interest. 

Katara woke up slowly, not registering where she was yet. Still in a fuzzy half-dream state, she sat up and looked at her surroundings. Katara was in a sleeping bag, which had kept her warm in the chilly night air, and she had been lying inside a broken down building with almost no roof. She could see the stars and large moon up above. Beside her, snoring softly was the old man.

The day's previous events came rushing back to Katara – she had been left behind on accident in the ghost town after Azula fled the scene. The old man was hit by lightning when they had cornered the fire princess. Katara had run over and she healed him leaving the others to take care of Azula. Aang, Toph, Sokka and… Zuko had been there too. Fighting with them.

Katara remembered the confusion when Azula suddenly fled the scene on her lizard mount. They had gone after her. But Zuko… What had Zuko done exactly? She couldn't remember.

Katara furrowed her brows, as she couldn't figure out the fuzzy memory. What _had_ Zuko done? And where was he now? He was still around obviously, because the old man he traveled with was still here as well. It seemed that the two shared some sort of bond, though she couldn't figure why anyone would want to travel with the prince, and she heard how the prince cried out when his uncle hit the ground.

The sleeping bag smelled like ash, and the small, red fire nation sewn into the black fabric only enforced the fact that it belonged to Zuko. It wasn't very high class like she had expected it to be, but it was warm none the less. The ash smell was comforting in its own way, and made Katara think of the calm after the storm. After the fire burned out.

Katara squirmed out of the sleeping back and crouched at the old man's side. He had a healthy color in his cheeks and seemed to be in no pain at all. Katara smiled a little, he would be fine. The man should wake up soon. He was lucky that he didn't have to feel the pain from earlier, for it had been nearly unbearable. The times Katara healed minor scrapes and burns for her friends all dwarfed in comparison.

A long stream of bright orange fire from outside the broken door caught Katara's attention suddenly. She stood up slowly and was surprised at how tired she still felt after sleeping. Her mind was wide-awake and functional, but her body did not want to respond and felt heavy and sluggish to move. Katara walked over to the door and leaned on the frame as she peered out into the night.

Zuko was out in the empty dirt street practicing his fire bending. He moved quickly between his stances in an aggressive style that Katara wasn't familiar with. It was very different from her own style that she used when she was water bending. The moves were fast and powerful, meant to take the opponent down quickly. None of the movements seemed to promote defense, but it made sense. Fire was an element that struck hard the first time so it wouldn't have to defend.

Long streams and short burst of white-hot fire filled the dark night sky and created short waves of comforting warmth. The fire brought quick flashes of light that illuminated the dark streets of the town casting strange and interesting shadows as she went. It reminded Katara almost of the northern lights she had seen at night in the northern water tribe.

Although it was out of context, Katara noted that it did give off a very… cool and powerful effect.

Katara leaned on the frame more to help sustain herself because her legs felt like lead beneath her, and the dry, old wood cracked a little beneath the weight. Katara scowled at it, she didn't weigh _that_ much, and this was not helping the unusual situation right now.

Hearing the snap of wood, Zuko went into real attack mode. The prince held an orb of fire at the ready as he leapt into a battle position facing the direction where the sound came from. It might be Azula returned after loosing the avatar. She was never one to leave a job unfinished.

The sight of the water bending girl in the door frame only relaxed him slightly. She wasn't a threat to him. Zuko held his stance and his orb in position all the same though, daring the girl to even think about coming closer to him. It was clear through his body language that he was dangerous and quick to act.

Katara was silent for a moment under the intense golden gaze of the prince, "How long has it been?" She asked quietly breaking the fragile silence between them, "How long have I been out?" Katara hoped that Zuko didn't intend on keeping her here as a captive. It was cliché and low to keep her as bait for Aang, but lately Katara had been wondering if Zuko had any morals anyway. She needed to get back to Aang, her brother, and Toph as quickly as she could so they could continue on their journey.

"This would be the second night." Zuko answered after studying the girl for another moment. He exhaled slowly and allowed the energy of the fire to dissipate. Leaving his stance and standing normally, Zuko waited for the girl to make another move. He was still tense, ready to spring into action if needed because he wasn't sure how she would react to what was going on.

Katara blinked once – stunned. Why hadn't they come back for her yet after one day? Aang and the others had to have known by now that she wasn't with them. Why hadn't they turned around and come back for her yet? "I see." Katara saw her canteen laying on the porch step in front of her and remembered that it was empty while she picked it up. "How late is it?"

"The sun set about two hours ago." Zuko watched the canteen warily knowing the power that she could have unleashed if it had water in it. She was without her element though which diminished her threat, but it was never smart to underestimate a foe. Zuko almost scoffed, even if they were little water tribe girls.

Now would be a good time to leave, before Zuko became violent. He was as unpredictable and uncontrollable as his element, and to overstay her unorthodox 'welcome' would be beyond foolish.

Katara began to walk away but stopped when she was several paces away from the fire bending prince. She fidgeted and hesitantly made eye contact with him. "Thank you I guess." Katara was surprised at how quietly her voice came out, it was almost as if she was afraid of speaking – it might set him off.

Zuko ignored her and turned his head away so he didn't have to look at the girl's face. He scoffed and crossed his arms in an arrogant manner. Zuko realized that he must look almost exactly like his sister Azula right now.

Smiling a little because she had expected something like that, Katara turned and continued on her way in the direction Aang, her brother, and Toph and went off. They would be coming back for her by now so it would save time if she met them halfway instead of waiting for them in the ghost town. The 'company' that she would have had back in the ghost town wasn't all too hospitable anyway.

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Zuko was relieved when his uncle finally woke up. The girl had left shortly before he heard Iroh groan and sit up.

Thinking quickly, Zuko started a small fire, pulled Iroh's teapot, and dried tea. Reaching into the pack again, Zuko pulled out his canteen and poured a generous amount of the liquid into the teapot to heat it up.

Iroh rubbed his eyes and looked over at his nephew. "Ugh, I feel as if one of the fire nation's rhinos walked over me."

"Close enough, Azula did this to you." Zuko used his fire bending to bring the water to a boil before adding the tea to it. He stirred it for a moment before pouring the steaming liquid into a metal cup, "She hit you with her lightning."

Iroh looked down at his chest to see that it was bandaged up. "I don't feel any pain." He put a hand on his chest and put a light pressure there, "I feel better than I have in ages." He took the steaming cup from Zuko and took a long drink from it.

"That water bender that travels with the avatar used her bending to heal you. She left earlier before you woke up." Zuko poured himself a cup but found that he wasn't thirsty. He sat down cross-legged across from his uncle and looked down at his hands, "Both the avatar and Azula got away from me. Again."

Iroh's eyes widened and he stroked his beard, "So she's a healer?" Iroh nodded his head a little, "There hasn't been one of those in years if my old memory serves me right." He took another long drink from the hot metal cup, "So she left earlier? I'm surprised that the avatar would let her stay behind just for my sake. Especially with you around."

Zuko looked out the broken door, "He didn't. They left her behind on accident when they chased after Azula." Zuko fidgeted uncomfortably when he saw a smile on his uncle's wrinkled face. "What?" he snapped defensively

"Oh it's nothing." Iroh waved it off though he was still smiling. "I'm happy to see that you had the honor to let her leave." Iroh though to himself as he finished the cup of tea. He stood up and stretched, working out a sore on his back. "Well it's best that we go at night so we don't overheat during the day."

Zuko nodded and packed up his things. He rolled up his sleeping back and stuffed it into his pack. Without his ostrich horse, he would need to carry everything himself. He slung the pack onto his back and left the building with his uncle following behind him.

"Which way did the avatar run off to?" Iroh asked.

Zuko looked down the long street, "This way, north." He started walking in said direction.

"And which way did the water bending girl go?" Iroh asked as he followed behind his nephew. He already knew the answer, but wanted to know what Zuko would say.

Zuko glanced back at his uncle and didn't say anything. He kept walking to the North.

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"Zuko, we've been walking for hours." Iroh groaned. He looked around at his surroundings; the landscape had more trees and rock formations unlike the sandy desert they had been trekking through before. It was still a dry and desolate place, but the few plants that grew were a vast improvement. "We should set up camp beneath a large rock formation to block the wind." 

Zuko nodded a little, "That's the biggest one over there." He pointed a little off to the left where a few boulders lay one on top of another creating a small little alcove. Zuko's eyes narrowed when he saw a glow cast by a fire on one of the rocks. Someone was already there.

"It's big enough to share for the night." Iroh shrugged and walked in front of his nephew in the direction of the alcove. Walking around the curved edge, he made it into the center of the 'U' shaped formation. "Ah, I see that I will get a chance to thank you hmm?"

Katara was before them with a small fire burning at her feet. She was sitting in front of the small orange flames with her knees pulled up close to her chest. "It's you!" She exclaimed in surprise, but soon felt foolish for saying so. A better thing to say would have been 'go away!' or 'leave me alone!'

Zuko walked up behind Iroh and scoffed a little at seeing the girl again. He had hoped that she would be out of his hair for at least a little while. It seemed that the fates had something else in mind though.

Iroh set down his own pack, took a seat next to Katara by the fire, and gave her a warm and trusting smile so as not to frighten her. Katara was tense and eyed him warily while watching Zuko at the same time.

"Uncle! We're here to set up camp, not talk to her!" Zuko growled in frustration. He didn't want to deal with right now. The girl would probably start screaming her head off then run away into the distance. Then his uncle would be annoyed and insist on going after her… Oh, it made his head hurt just to think about it.

Iroh rolled his eyes, "You need to relax Prince Zuko, she happens to be in the same place as us."

Zuko glowered before huffing and pulling his tent out from his pack and setting it up. He muttered to himself angrily all the while. "I'm going to bed!" He stomped into his tent and tied the cloth flaps shut.

Iroh sighed, "He _really_ is good inside." He cupped a hand around his mouth and whispered so only Katara could hear it.

Katara raised an eyebrow skeptically, "I find that hard to believe." She used her finger to doodle some squiggles in the dirt. "Why do you travel with his anyway?"

"He's my nephew." Iroh answered as he looked over at the tent. Iroh yawned, "Well I don't mean to be rude," He stretched, "But I should really go get some rest for tomorrow. And thank you for healing me." Iroh stood back up and set up his own tent.

"Oh um… ok." Katara cocked her head to the side a little. How was she supposed to respond? One of her greatest enemies was only five paces away and here she was small talking with his uncle. He _was_ being quite nice to her though. What was someone like that nice man traveling with someone like… Zuko?

Iroh waved a little before going into his own tent and closed the cloth flaps. He liked the girl so far, she seemed calm and rational. The exact opposite of his nephew, and maybe that was why it was refreshing. He could see why the avatar would want someone like her on his side. Not to mention that her healing abilities would be a great asset. With a large yawn, he unrolled his sleeping bag and fell asleep.

Katara eyed the two tents again before looking back at the fire. "I'll need to wake up before them. With fire benders rising with the sun and all, I don't want to be asleep with them on the move." Katara thought to herself. Katara rested her back against one of the boulders and closed her ocean blue eyes. With the warmth of the fire warming her, Katara allowed her self to fall asleep while ignoring the close proximity of her enemies. As long as she only had to share a campsite for one night, she could stand it…


End file.
